The scars of the Iran-Iraq war - Beautiful Iran 11

The portraits of young Iranian soldiers killed in the war

In the morning of April 24, we took an airplane from Rasht on the Caspian Sea coast to Ahvaz in Southern Iran. It was about 700 km in a straight line.Flying over the grayish brown plateau, I saw Zagros mountains capped with snow below us. It took just one hour twenty minutes until we landed in the midst of burning desert. It seemed to be a dream flight of the Arabian Nights. 

Stepping down the ramp, we walked to the airport terminal under the sizzling sun in the blue sky. I knew it was 36℃, some15℃ higher than in Rasht. I took off my coat but stayed with a long sleeve shirts to prevent sunburn. Ahvaz is situated on the banks of the Karun River in Khuzestan province, some 150 km north of the Persian Gulf. In summer it is expected to be regularly at least 45℃, sometimes exceeding 50℃ with occasional sandstorms.

In the 19th century, Ahvaz was no more than a small borough inhabited mainly by Sha'ab Arabs. Oil was found near Ahvaz in the early 20th century, and the city suddenly started prospering.

In 1980, the next year of the Iranian Revolution, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Iran to annex Khuzestan Province, resulting in the Iran–Iraq War that continued 8 years until 1988. Ahvaz was close to the front lines and severely suffered during the war. 

I found a small exhibition of the war relics in the corner of the airport terminal, including worn-out military boots, helmets, rifles and other weapons such as land mines and grenades, which had been excavated from the battlefield deserts. They were rusty and decaying, but appealing to us.

Our tour guide Mr. Musa said to me, “The remains of the Iranian soldiers still are dug out on the Iran-Iraq border. The war is not yet over for us.”

In every local town we visited there were the portraits of young Iranian soldiers killed in the war. Running through the road by tour bus, we found the portraits posted high in a line at the median. A large board full of the young men’s faces was held up at the corner of the intersection. The people still mourned their death.

Most of the portraits were respectfully decorated with a design of red tulips, which are the symbol of martyrs, according to Mr. Musa. The blood of martyrs turns to be red tulipsーthe soldiers, some in teens, looked at us sadly….

Why did Saddam Hussein invade Iran? Iraq claimed the ethnic cause to annex Khuzestan, for many of the inhabitants of the area spoke Arabic rather than Persian. However, it is said that the Iranian Arab inhabitants resisted the Iraqis rather than welcomed them as liberators. 

According to the history (cf. Wikipedia), the United States supported Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War. After the Iranian Revolution and the seizure of U.S. embassy staff in the 1979–81 Iran hostage crisis, President Jimmy Carter (1924-) ordered a review of American policy toward Iraq. His National Security Advisor Zdigniew Brzezinski asked him “to begin to look more favorably toward Saddam Hussein as a potential counterweight to Ayatollah Khomeini.”

The United states provided the Hussein Administration with several billion dollar worth of economic aid, the sale of weaponry, intelligence service, military training. They were directly involved in warfare against Iran. On June 9, 1992, ABC reported that the “Reagan/Bush administrations permitted—and frequently encouraged—the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq.”

As a symbolic event, Donald Rumsfeld (1932-) visited Iraq and firmly shook hands with Saddam on December 20, 1983. The NY Times reported from Baghdad on March 29, 1984, that “American diplomats pronounce themselves satisfied with Iraq and the U.S., and suggest that normal diplomatic ties have been established in all but name.”

Saddam shook hands with Rumsfeld on December 20, 1983 

However, Rumsfeld was named as Secretary of Defense by President George W. Bush (Junior) in 2001. He planned and executed the military invasion of Iraq in 2003. Saddam Hussein was captured on December 13 by the U.S. army and executed under the Iraq interim government on December 30, 2006. For the United States yesterday’s friend could be today’s enemy.

Why did such a thing happen? The answer is simple: oil.

In October 1989, President Bush (Senior) signed the directive with the lead: “Access to Persian Gulf oil and the security of key friendly states in the area are vital to U.S. national security.” It continues, “Normal relations between the United States and Iraq would serve our longer term interests and promote stability in both the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.” 

However, on August 2, 1990, Iraq launched an invasion of oil-rich Kuwait. America's expedient ally became overnight her most bitter enemy, which led to the Gulf War.

American historian Howard Zinn writes in “Terrorism and War” (2002), “You can trace everything that the United States has done in the Middle East to the concern for oilーand the profits from oil. In their candid moments, members of the U.S. government will affirm that this is their real concern…. The United States has followed this policy of keeping a very close relationship with Israel, on the one hand, and with the oil-producing states, on the otherーplaying them off against one another so that the United States can be the dominating force in the Middle East.”

The oil field in Khuzestan Province

Today Khuzestan Province is a big oil producer. During our sightseeing around Ahvaz, we often came across oil wells. Watching a gas flare associated with black smoke, I had a strange feelingーa blazing flame on the top of a towering stack overlaps a red tulip….  

If Iran had not produced any oil, no industrial countries, including the United States, those of Western Europe, Japan, and China, would not have been seriously interested in this country. My sympathies and condolences to those young soldiers killed in the Iran- Iraq war.

Gulls over the Caspian Sea - Beautiful Iran 10

The Caspian Sea

We left Ardabil for Bandar-e Anzali, a harbor town of the Caspian Sea. It was the first time for me to visit that sea. I was nearly excited. The sea has a surface area of 371,000 ㎢, nearly the same size of Japan’s territory, and yet it is classed the world’s largest lake (to be exact, a closed drainage basin). The Caspian Sea was one of the top destinations on my “bucket list.”

It was a 230 km bus tour, taking almost 5 hours including lunch time. It was cloudy. Wind blew. We had to be ready for sudden changes of weather. Going through the passes of the mountainous area, we met a thick fog, but when we got down to the plain, the fog was over. Clouds were flying on the wind. Getting closer to the Caspian Sea, we saw fresh green of trees and unexpectedly paddy fields filled with water. 

Our tour guide Mr. Musa said, “This coastal area is famous for rice production.” And he explained the recent situation of the Caspian Sea: “The water level is recently 28 m below sea-level without outflows. It solely depends on the inflows from the rivers around the sea.”

In other words, it depends on the relation between the rainfall of the area and the evaporation from the sea. I went to Uzbekistan in 2010 and heard of the shrinking of the Aral Sea, some 500 km east of the Caspian Sea. Formerly the one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 ㎢ has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes.... The people there said, “That was environmental disaster.”

The Caspian Sea was still full of water although it was getting polluted. Mr. Musa added, “When I was a child, I came with my family for swimming in summer. Certainly, it is one of the best resorts in this area.”

Bandar-e Anzali is a seaport in northern Iran. It is said that the area has a humid climate somehow similar to that of Japan’s coast along the Sea of Japan, which I knew well. It is hot and humid in summer, on the other hand, cold with much snowfall in winter. It lacks sunshine throughout the year. 

We finally arrived at a landing place of the Anzali Lagoon. It was already past 5 in the afternoon. The dark sky with thick clouds over the lagoon and beyond reminded me of that over the Sea of Japan. It looked like rain. Wearing a life-jacket, we divided and got in three motorboats.

At the landing place of the Anzali Lagoon

The Anzali Lagoon 

The lagoon divides into two parts; the Selke Wildlife Refuge and the Siahkesheem Marsh. Caspian lotus (Nelumbo caspicum) grow, and the red flowers, similar to Indian lotus, would come out two months later. However, we only imagined their beauty on the dark water surface at that time.

A boatman started the engine and set out our motorboat into the lagoon. A wind died down. The water surface was calm. The boat traveled fast through a narrow waterway leaving the wake, and then suddenly appeared the broad marsh dotted with many reed beds. Our boat turned and disturbed the water. The waves were spreading and lapping against the reed grasses.

The marsh

A flock of gulls were flying over the marsh. A big bird, probably Pelican, was resting his wings on a reed bed. Mr. Musa spoke loudly against the engine sounds, “This is a popular place for bird watching. Many kinds of birds live there.”

Our motorboat went into the harbor of Bandar-e Anzali where ships anchored. Mr. Musa warned us, “The harbor is also the Iranian military port. Please don’t take pictures.” We obeyed him and passed quietly by a big warship dressed with colorful flags. It may have been the Iranian new destroyer Jamaran 2, which was launched in March. 

The harbor of Bandar-e Anzali

The Caspian Sea is bounded to the north by Russia, to the south by Iran, western Azerbaijan, and eastern Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It has been geopolitically an important water area since the ancient times. 

The ancient people believed the Caspian Sea as an ocean, for it is salty as well as it appears boundless. We stayed at a seaside hotel. In the evening I got out on the hotel beach. I tasted its water. It was slightly salty and less than most seawater.

The beach of the Caspian Sea

My wife and I walked on the shore and enjoyed watching gulls skimming over the water surface. It was a magnificent view. 

The Caspian Gulls

As for dinner came out a dish of grilled sturgeon with caviar as a garnish. They were the famous products of the Caspian Sea. 

The Silk Road that bridged the path between the West and East went through the north and south sides of the Caspian Sea. However, it was said that the travelers often took a shortcut by crossing that sea. I wonder whether they would eat sturgeon or caviar. Caviar has been considered a luxury delicacy, probably because the merchants on the Silk Road might have acquired its taste. For me it was the luxurious dinner once in a lifetime. 

Blue-and-white in Ardabil - Beautiful Iran 9

The blue-and-white porcelains in Ardabil

We stayed at a hotel in Sareyn 200 km east of Tabriz. Sareyn, meaning “spring’s outlet” in Persian, is actually famous for its hot springs on the foot of an inactive volcano, Mount Sabalan (4,811 m). Unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to soak in the spring bath. Zoroaster reputedly wrote the Avesta near there. He must have had lots of time for bathing. 

The next morning, on April 23, we visited Ardabil in northwestern Iran. This town sits on the highland of 1,263 m above sea-level. The name is said to mean “holy place” in Zoroastrianism.The Muslim conquered the Sassanid Empire (224-651), and the Mongol invasions destroyed the Khwarezemian Empire (1077-1256). Each time Ardabil was ruined but reconstructed. There appeared a mysterious figure of Sufi, Sheikh Safi al-Din (1252-1334). His successor, Shah Ismail founded the Safavid Dynasty and declared Shi’a Islam the state religion. 

Our tour destination was the sanctuary and mausoleum of Sheikh Safi al-Din, which was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Just before entering the site, I saw a pair of black triangle flags in the street. The flags indicated a small altar built into the external wall. Local people stopped, lit candles, and prayed toward the altar.

The altar in the street 

Our tour guide Mr. Musa explained us, “They write their wishes on papers and put them by the altar. If their wishes are fulfilled, they return to offer their thanks.” 

We entered the gate, walked along an alley in the long and narrow garden, and got out in the courtyard. There was a domed tall cylindrical tower decorated with blue mosaic tiles. That was the mausoleum of Sheikh Safi al-Din. The walls of the buildings surrounding the courtyard were decorated with various kinds of mosaic arabesque. Very impressive blue!

 The courtyard of the mausoleum  

The mausoleum of Sheikh Safi al-Din

However, I was more impressed by a vast collection of Chinese porcelain exhibited in the Porcelain House of the site.  It is said that they were collected by Shah Abbas I (1571-1629) of the Safavid and used for the sanctuary’s ceremonies. 

 I am an art lover, especially fond of ceramic art. Porcelain was invented in the Han Dynasty of ancient China. The Chinese discovered the clay called “Kaolin” that is full of silicate mineral, and fired it in a kiln at the high temperature of 1,300 ℃. That was the birth of porcelain, which the westerners call “Chinaware” or “fine China.” No other nations except Japan and Korea could not reproduce it by the 18th century. Therefore, porcelain was Chinese popular export from the 16th to 20th century.

The Porcelain House

In the exhibition I found many blue-and-white porcelains (simply “blue-and-white”). They appeared hard, white, and translucent with vivid blue paintings. According to the explanation, they were made in Jingdezhen, northeastern Jiangxi province in the 17th century. 

This “blue” is glazed with a blue pigment of cobalt oxide. Interestingly, it was called “Islamic blue” because cobalt oxide was exported from Iran to China by the Muslim traders.

Blue-and-white 

“Mr. Blue & White” Takatoshi Misugi, a Japanese scholar of ceramics, says, “I think [the technique of] blue-and-white originated in Persia. There were blue-and-white ceramics in Persia in the 9th or 10th century. But they were pottery, not porcelain fired at 1,300 ℃ like in China.” 

In Iran, there appeared the ceramics called “lajvardina” in the Ilkhanid period in the 13th century. Lajvardina is the gilded blue grazed pottery. The word “lajvard” means blue pigment in Persian, actually indicating “lapis lazuli.” Obviously, lapis lazuli was a precious gem, too expensive to be used as pigment for ceramics. Potters substituted cobalt blue for lapis lazuli. The lajvardina technique seems to have been handed over to tile producers in Central Asia as well as in Iran. Today we can see beautiful buildings covered with ultramarine or turquoise blue tiles in Iran, Uzbekistan and other Islamic countries.

Let us return to the Porcelain House. I found plain-colored porcelains, too, in the exhibition. They were “celadon,” from blue-green or olive-green to yellow, made in China in the same century. The term celadon was coined by Europeans for the pale jade-green glaze, which was one of the most favorite colors for the Chinese. 

Celadon

Chinese people originally preferred white porcelain and celadon to blue-and-white. In fact, the blue-and-white was in mass production for export, especially to the Islamic countries.

However, there is a crucial question: how were these fragile ceramics transported from Jingdezhen in China to Ardabil? Were they carried by caravans on the Silk Road? 

Tsugio Mikami (1907-87), a Japanese orientalist and archaeologist, proposed the “Ceramic Road” as seaborne trade comparing to the Silk Road as land trade. The “Ceramic Road” is also called the “Silk Road on the sea.” The main route started at Canton (Guangzhou) in China, passed through Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and then reached Alexandria.

The blue-and-white made in China was shipped from Canton by the Muslim traders. The ship made its way toward the Persian Gulf and arrived in Hormoz Island. There was such a port city as Minab in the ancient times or Bandar Abbas that was established in the 17th century by Shah Abbas I. From the port the heavy boxes containing fragile porcelains were loaded on camels and were carried by caravans through the Royal Road to Ardabil. What a tough journey of 2,000 km it was, from the mouth of the Persian Gulf to the highland of some 1,300 m above sea-level! 

Beautiful mosaic

After looking around inside, we returned to the gate. There was a large crowd of school girls. A few girls noticed us, and then a crowd gathered around us. They asked one question and another in English: “Where are you from?” “Are you Chinese? Oh, Japanese!” “Woud you please write your name here?” (holding out a notebook) ... I didn’t understand what happened, but obviously, they welcomed us. “Welcome to Iran!” “Welcome to Ardabil!” they shouted. We ran away to our tour bus, waving hands to our pretty friends.  

Tabriz in earthquakes- Beautiful Iran 8

The Blue Mosque in Tabriz

When I woke up in the morning of April 22, it was drizzling. I had stayed overnight at a hotel in Tabriz after a long drive from Takht-e Soleyman. 

Tabriz sits at a height of 1,350 m above sea-level, on the northern foot of the dormant volcano Kuh-e Sahand (3,707 m), one of the highest mountains in Azerbaijan province. This region is a prominent seismic zone, which has been often struck by big earthquakes leaving deep traces of damage here and there.

Today Tabriz is a major industrial and manufacturing city in northwestern Iran, but in the ancient times was a great caravan town on the Silk Road. Innumerable merchant travelers carrying silk, ceramics, spice, jewelry, and other foreign goods arrived there for exchange. In the center of the city is Tabriz Historic Bazaar, which was listed as World Heritage Site in 2010. 

After breakfast we made a visit in a light rain to the Historic Bazaar which appeared to stand in extensive grounds. We entered from a low and dark gate. The inside had a long arched corridor, which was narrower than I had expected. It was dimly lit, flanked with small stores. Each store had its own lighting, usually with naked light bulbs dangling from the ceiling. I was surprised to feel a few raindrops in my neck. They were falling from a small hole of the brick dome. We all followed our tour guide Mr. Musa in a labyrinth of corridors.

Mr. Musa explained, “This bazaar was founded in the12th century, and  became famous by the 13th century. The people added one after another sub-bazaar to enlarge it. Today it is the large bazaar complex that consists of several sub-bazaars. For example, Amir Bazaar sells gold and jewelry. Mozzafarieh Bazaar sells carpet. Other bazaars sell many various goods.”

In the old days Italian Marco Polo (1254-1324) and Moroccan Ibn Battuta (1304-68) visited Tabriz and stopped at the bazaar. Ibn Battuta records in the Rihla (journey):

“I passed through the jewelers bazaar, and my eyes were dazzled by the varieties of precious stones that I beheld. They were displayed by beautiful mamluk [slaves] wearing rich garments with a waist sash of silk, who stood in front of the merchants, exhibiting the jewels to the Turks wives, who bought them in large quantities to outdo each other.”

Tabriz Historic Bazaar

We also passed through the jewelers bazaar, but I found no mannequins wearing rich garments to mesmerize my eyes. The bazaar was quiet indeed. We stopped only at the store of dried fruits and spices. I bought 1 kg of dried mulberry at 85,000 rials ($ 3.5).

Interestingly, the word origin of bazaar is from Persian, meaning “place of prices,” that is to say, marketplace. Walking around the marketplace, we suddenly stepped outside. It was a square courtyard with trees and a water reservoir in the center. The rain had lifted. Several cats were hunting for something to eat around the garbage bins.

The courtyard of the bazaar

From the 19th to the early 20th century, Swedish explorer Sven Hedin (1865-1952) and British orientalist Edward Browne (1862-1926) also visited Tabriz to leave the records of the then situation. 

Hedin writes in “Overland to India” (1910): “It is not long ago that Tabriz contained half a million of inhabitants. It was a serious blow to the town when it was razed to the ground in 1721 by an earthquake which cost 20,000 human lives. The town then stood nearer to the shore of Lake Urmia, and it was rebuilt on its present site, but it never recovered from the misfortune.”

It is interesting that old Tabriz stood near Lake Urmia, but he doesn’t refer to how near it was. Today Tabriz is some 90 km east of the lake. I wonder where old Tabriz was built, or whether it might have been moved 90km east? However, Tabriz Historic Bazaar is still as it was ...

I came to another grim reality that the lake has been drying up, the shore line far receding. Lake Urmia is a salt lake that has been experiencing a serious drought over the past decade. “Historical documents indicate that Urmia Lake experienced a severe drought more than 200 years ago. In 1800, the maximum depth was only 75 cm,” according to the report (World Agriculture, March 2012). 

Let us return to our tour. We left the bazaar for Arg-e Tabriz and then the Blue mosque (Masjid-i-Kabud) like Hedin and Browne did. 

Arg-e Tabriz is the mosque and citadel constructed in the Ilhanate period (1256-1335). It was a ruin more than 30 m high, which had been destroyed by the repeated earthquakes. Next to the site was a newly constructed huge modern mosque. Arg-e Tabriz looked too devastated to appeal the glory of the past.

Arg-e Tabriz

Browne once climbed the top of the site. He writes in “A year amongst the persians” (1887-1888): “From this height, in former days, criminals were hurled into the ditch below. On one occasion, we were informed, a woman condemned to suffer death in this manner was so buoyed up by the air inflating her loose garments that she reached the ground uninjured.”

We heard the same episode from Mr. Musa. He added, “Whether this story is true or not, I don’t know.” It was the same punch line which might have been repeated by many tour guides.

The Blue Mosque was constructed in 1465 during the era of Kara Koyunlu (the Black Sheep Turkomens) dynasty, but was also severely damaged by the 1779 earthquake. Browne refers to it, “The Blue Mosque is now little more than a ruin.” However, reconstruction began in 1973 by an architect of Tabriz, Reza Memaran Benam. Its tiling is not yet finished.

The mosaic tiles with texts from the Koran 

At the gate of the mosque, fronting the ancient Silk Road, we saw the surviving blue tiled walls with exquisite mosaic arabesque in ocher, green, and white. Inside I saw the repaired arch showing intense blue of lapis lazuli with delicate golden painting. I took pictures not to forget these beauties.

The mosaic arabesque 

Inside of the Blue Mosque

 The fragments made by the earthquake in 1779

Today Iranian architects and engineers are said to be engaged in seismic technology to protect these buildings from coming earthquakes. I was very impressed by their efforts because we have suffered the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on 3.11, 2011, leaving 15,883 deaths and 2,654 people still missing. Your crisis is ours, too.

Spring snow in Takht-e Soleyman - Beautiful Iran 7

　The beautiful crater lake in Takht-e Soleyman

Sunday morning on April 21, we left Zanjan for Takht-e Soleyman, 144 km west of Zanjan, and 400 km from Tehran.

Takht-e Soleyman, which means the Throne of Solomon, is a Word Heritage Site (listed in 2003) in West Azerbaijan province. It sits in the mountainous region 2,000-3,000 m above sea-level. Our tour bus made its engine roar to go up a steep road and then kept running on highlands. Out of the window, we saw a karst landscape. I could find no trees but slightly budding poplars in undulating meadows. Many patches of old snow still remained in ravines. Soon snowflakes began dancing in cold wind.

The mountain with the patches of remaining old snow

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Takht-e Soleyman “consists of an oval platform about 350 m by 550 m rising 60 m above the surrounding valley.” Our tour group was full of elderly men and women, so the driver tried to pull over the bus near the site to take care of us. “Merci!” I said to him when I got off. It was pretty cold outside. We climbed a steep slope of flat stones some 200 m to reach the gate of a high stone wall like a fortress.

Entering inside, I was stunned at the sight of magnificent blue waters beyond. The site was a volcano in prehistory. It was the crater lake. There were some ruins standing in a line like decayed teeth on the opposite side. I walked up to the rim. The sky was getting cloudy, so the blue surface of the lake became darker. 

When we started a sightseeing tour, wind began blowing. It was threatening a rain. I later realized how temperamental the weather in high mountains was.

Our tour guide Mr. Musa explained, “The lake is some 60 m deep in the middle and 120 m at the deepest. There is a hole in the ground through which water rises to the surface by natural pressure. From here, small streams bring water to surrounding lands.” 

The portico built in the Sassanid period

We saw the buildings made of stones and bricks on the north side of the lake. A half of the portico built in the Sassanid was supported by a huge scaffold. “This is the complex of the holy sanctuary. There are the ruins of the Zoroastrian Fire Temple and the Anahita Temple,” said he.

In the recent excavations, the remains of human settlement were unearthed from the north side, which are dated back to 600B.C.-500 B.C. It is the period from the Median Empire to the Achaemenid one. The old Persians, originally nomads, settled down at oasis in the Iranian plateau to start firming. They built up the empire based on the oasis civilization. The rulers worshipped Zoroastrianism that respected only “tilling” and “grazing” in the Avesta. It means Zoroastrianism strongly supported the oasis civilization. The Sassanid Empire (224-651) took over the tradition from the Achaemenid. It is the Sassanians that occupied the platform of Takht-e Soleyman in the 5th century and built the large sanctuary there. 

We walked around the ruins, when we needed active imagination. We went to its center. Mr. Musa explained, “This is the Fire Temple called Azar Goshnasp in the old time. Azar means fire in Persian. There was a large dome covering the square hall. To the east of the Temple there is another square hall where the everlasting fire was burning.” Today there is no dome or everlasting fire.

The site of the FIre Temple of the sanctuary

He pointed out, “Azer of Azerbaijan also means fire and baijan means land. It means land of fire. Zoroastrianism originated in Azerbaijan.”His remarks stimulated my imagination. I heard there was the popular tourist spot Yanar Dag near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Yanar Dag means volcano in Turkish or Azerbaijani, but actually a natural gas fire continuously burning on the hillside, which may be recognized as an everlasting fire. The same fire might have been burning at the Fire Temple in Takht-e Soleyman. 

Fire and water are the important elements for Zoroastrianism. Fire can change the world. Zoroastrians worshipped fire by building up the Fire Temple. On the other hand, Water is the source of life. They enshrined the goddess Anahita to pray for everlasting sources of water.

Fire and water were also the fundamentals of all the ancient civilizations. What is more, they are still indispensable to our modern civilization, although the state of their being is more complex. We don’t simply worship fire, but nobody denies the importance of energy: oil, gas, nuke, and other renewables. We are even ready to go to war in order to secure energy. Unfortunately, water is still in the same geopolitical situation.

The massive brick vault used as a ritual place

Suddenly it began raining. We were looking for a shelter in the entrance of dark massive corridor made of bricks. I tried to advance deep, when Mr. Musa said, “This is a Zoroastrian ritual place for the dead.” I froze. He explained, “It is said that funeral ceremony was held here. The corpse was put in the dead end.” I saw a glimpse of light in that place. Perhaps there was a hole through which daylight filtered. Within a while, it cleared away outside.

The dead end of the vault

Afterwards, we walked around other parts of the ruins including the Anahita Temple. I needed more imagination to picture the past appearance in my mind. I thought the mysterious lake was a match for the residence of the goddess Anahita rather than the desolate ruins.

When we returned to the lake side, it began snowing. The wind blew stronger and stronger. Instantly it changed into a blizzard. We ran away. Looking back at the entrance of the site, I found snow smoking over the lake. I didn’t believe in my eyes.

We were stumbling down the slope of slippery flat stones and running toward the parking place in the snowstorm. When I reached our bus, I was drenched to the skin. It was so cold!

Afterglow of Mongol Empire - Beautiful Iran 6

The great turquoise -blue dome  in Soltaniyeh

We got into a tour bus and left Hamadan for Zanjan, which is 200 km north of Hamadan in a straight line, but 300 km along the highway. Our bus ran through the hilly areas in the Zagros Mountains, with undulating wheat field or green meadow on both sides of the road. Out of the window I happened to see flat houses made of brick, flocks of sheep, or fields dotted with yellow rape blossoms. 

At noon, we stopped at a local restaurant along the road and took Chelo kabab (rice with grilled meat) for lunch. The restaurant owner seemed not to have expected so many guests as 13 Japanese with our Iranian guide and bus driver. But he was clever enough to invite us to the kitchen to show how he cooked kabab; Kabab koobideh. The lamb meat was already minced, seasoned, and skewered. He grilled lots of meat over a stove. We enjoyed flare-up during cooking and savory smell filling the kitchen.

The meal was served with grilled tomato and butter, but butter remained frozen, for it was cold on the highlands more than 1500 m above sea level. We warmed it on the side of a heater near the entrance. I associated it with the winter life there. 

When we travel in the Middle East or Central Asia, we come across various types of kabab or kebab. That Chelo Kabab is one of the best kebabs I have ever eaten. The combination of steamed rice and grilled meat is very tasty. “Khoshmazas,” I said so to the owner in Farsi, when we left. He cracked a big smile. 

I imagine Chelo Kabab is a cross-cultural product between normads and oasis people, pasturing and farming lives. Nomads moved from place to place in the Iranian plateau seeking pasture for sheep or goats. They actually depended on oasis people for rice, wheat, or other agricultural food. They traded sheep or dairy products for them. Some nomads settled down at oases to start farming. New cuisine would have developed through such communications in a peaceful time. 

We restarted bus tour after lunch. Soon the blue sky disappeared under the thick black clouds. It began raining and soon changed into a thunderstorm. A strong wind blew and swayed our bus. Our tour guide Mr. Musa consoled us saying, “The weather in the mountains is very temperamental.”

He was right. One hour later it stopped raining, when we arrived at Soltaniyeh. I could plainly see the great turquoise-blue dome of the mosque through the window still wet with raindrops. 

Soltaniyeh, some 240 km north-west of Tehran, used to be the capital of Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire (1256-1335). It was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO in 2005.

We know the name Genghis Khan (1162-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. In the same period, Iran was under the Khwarazmian Empire (1077-1231). The Mongol forces under Genghis Khan not only conquered the empire but also massacred the residents, even women and children.

Mr. Musa said to me, “We have got some trauma of Mongol. When I was a child and disobeyed my parents, they threatened me by saying ‘Mongolian soldiers are coming!’”

 Interestingly we had the same old saying to put a check on children for Mongol had attacked Kushu region of West Japan twice in the late 13th century.

The Ilkhanate Empire was a breakaway state of the Mongol Empire, which was founded by Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan. His descendants ruled Persia for the next 80 years. It is said that Mongols were very tolerant of religions. I imagine that their early generations in wartime were very realistic, so realistic that they were never interested in religious happiness. However, the later generations in peaceful time dreamed of the next life in religions.

The Ilkhans adopted Islam as state religion in 1295 when Oljeitu (1280-1316) was the eighth ruler. Oljeitu was a highly religious person, different from Genghis khan or hulagu Khan. His name Oljeitu means “blessed” in the Mogolian language. He was baptized as a Christian in his childhood, and converted to Buddhism, then to Sunni Islam, and finally to Shi’a Islam. He changed his first name to Muhammad with Khodabandeh which means “man of God.”

Oljeitu was not a cruel conquerer, but a diplomat and promoter of trade, especially with Europe. He sent a Mongol embassy to the French king Philip IV, Pope Clement V, and Edward I of England in 1305. He gave trading rights to the Venetian merchants in 1306. That year Oljeitu founded the city of Soltaniyeh. During his reign, it was the most magnificent and prosperous city. 

Today the great dome of the mosque standing out in Soltaniyeh's ruins is the Mausoleum of Oljeitu. The building was octagonal. We entered it. The inside was under renovation. We saw a huge scaffold towering to the ceiling of the dome. I was surprised at how high the dome was. Mr. Musa explained, “It was 49 meters. The weight of the dome was estimated 200 tons. How amazing the technology of construction at that time is!” 

Inside of the dome

We climbed upstairs, stepped into the cloister, and stood on the observation deck. I found the dome stood in the middle of a rural village surrounded by fields and snowy mountains. It seems certain that the mausoleum would had looked magnificent from a distant place.

The landscape from the observation deck of the dome

I visited the Taj Mahal in Agra, India three years ago. It was a white marble mausoleum built by Mugal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal in the 17th century. The building is an unequal octagon with an onion-shaped dome, whose height is some 35 m, and four minarets around 40 m tall. I think that the Taj Mahal took over some design traditions of the dome of Soltaniyeh.

Most of the exterior decoration was lost, but the interior retained pieces of beautiful faience and patterns in mosaic on the walls, which had been repeatedly repaired. I found small labels pasted to the repaired parts. Each label had some description with the date of an earthquake on it. 

Iran is a country with frequent earthquakes such as Japan. Each big earthquake caused cracks in the building. The people have repaired them to keep the legacy of Mongol alive.

Good memories of Hamadan - Beautiful Iran 5

We stayed at a hotel in Hamadan, and the next early morning, April 20, walked around the city, which is more than 1800 meters above sea level in the mountainous region of Zagros. It was slightly cold, so we took jacket or coat to go outside under the cloudy sky. However, when we arrived at the Jame mosque, it temporarily cleared away.

The Jame mosque in Hamadan

The Jame mosque was a mosque, built during the reign of Fat'h Ali Shah (1797-1834) of the Qajar dynasty. Entering one of the gates, we found ourselves in front of a pool filled with water in the large rectangle court-yard.

Our tour guide Mr. Musa explained, “People believe Jame mosque is Friday mosque. But actually jame means ‘perfect’ in Arabic. It is the perfect mosque.” 

Each city or larger area in Islamic countries has a Jame mosque. It means the central one among many mosques in the area, where all the local people gather. However, when we visited, there were a few people. The door of the prayer hall was closed. It was calm and quiet. I loved it.

The mosaic of the Jame mosque

After looking around and taking pictures inside the Jame mosque, we walked into the streets. Hamadan is well known for handicrafts like leather, ceramic, and carpets. In fact, the mosaic of the Jame mosque was decorated with colorful tiles produced there. Besides ceramic, we found carpet and shawl shops in the bazaar near the mosque and interestingly faucets and other parts of water system sold on the road side. 

A carpet shop in the bazaar

Faucets sold on the road side

After Darius the Great constructed the Royal Road from Susa in Mesopotamia to Sardis in Anatolia, Hamadan became one of the most important juncture on the Silk Road. Caravans connecting East Asia and Europe stayed at the city for trade and commerce until the early 20th century. 

A shop owner pealing carrots 

That atmosphere of the old days still seemed to linger in the streets. I found a juice stand at which a shop owner prepared to make fresh juice by pealing a heap of carrots, as if he had been working there in the ancient times. 

Hamadan is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was conquered by the Assyrians in 1100 B.C. Herodotus describes that it was the capital of the Median Empire around 700 B.C. It became one of capital cities of the Achaemenid Empire. Its ancient name is Ecbatana.

The name Ecbatana is mentioned in the book of Ezra of the Hebrew Bible, which describes that the Jews returned to the land of Israel from the Babylonian exile. 

When we got into our tour bus, Mr. Musa began to talk about the story:

“Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire conquered Babylon in 538 B.C. Cyrus allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. After his death, Darius the Great became the king soon. Darius searched the evidence of Cyrus’s order and found a scroll in the archives at Ecbatana. Darius confirmed his order, and everything went on to the happy end.”

  

According to Ezra 6 (King James Version), “Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid…. And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.”

“That is the content of Cyrus’s order that opened a great epoch for the Jewish people. They praised the Persian king as a messiah sent by God. I wonder whether Israel’s leaders today would have forgotten that historical episode,” Mr. Musa said sadly. 

Now writing this article, I remember there is the Shrine of Esther and Mordecai in Hamadan, which we missed because we didn’t have time to spare on our journey. 

The shrine of Esther and Mordicai in Hamadan (from Wikipedia)

There is a bible story mentioned in the book of Esther. Esther was a Jewish queen of King Ahasuerus of the Achaemenid Empire. Haman, one of the ministers, plotted to kill all the Jews in Persia. He had a grudge against them. One theory is that his ancestors may have been wiped out in certain area by King Saul and David. He tried to convince the king to order the killing of the Jews including Mordecai who raised Esther in orphanage as his daughter. But the plot was eventually foiled because she succeeded in informing the king of Haman’s plot of genocide. The day of deliverance of the Jews became the holiday called “Purim.”

I am concerned over the recent hostile relations between Israel and Iran, looking back upon happy bygone days in Hamadan. History talks of good memories that encourage us to move on to the better future, I hope.